Quantcast

PrideFest hits Manhattan this week

Participants march in the 2013 NYC Pride parade, which was especially well-attended and exuberant following the U.S. Supreme Court decisions restoring same-sex marriages to California and granting gay couples the federal benefits of marriage.
Participants march in the 2013 NYC Pride parade, which was especially well-attended and exuberant following the U.S. Supreme Court decisions restoring same-sex marriages to California and granting gay couples the federal benefits of marriage. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Spencer Platt

This year’s PrideFest marks the 45th anniversary of the first Pride March following the Stonewall Riots, and New Yorkers are gearing up to celebrate accordingly.

NYC Pride Week festivities are set to begin with Family Night Tuesday at Hudson River Park. “The Wizard of Oz” will be screened at dusk at Pier 46 for viewers of all ages. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with seats and snacks available on a first come, first served basis.

The Pride Rally, at Pier 26 in TriBeCa on Friday, will be emceed by Michelle Visage of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Sharon Needles and Betty Who will perform. An all-night dance party, CLICK-Pride, follows Friday night at BPM Club. On Saturday, Pride parties include TEAZE, an exclusive event for women, and a VIP rooftop party at Hudson Terrace.

Weekend festivities will culminate on Sunday with the Pride Fest March, which begins at noon at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue and ends at Christopher and Greenwich streets. Actress Laverne Cox, of the popular Netflix hit “Orange is the New Black,” will be joined by LGBT activist Rea Carey and actor Jonathan Groff as grand marshals.

The Pride Fest street fair is also Sunday, on Hudson Street, and the popular Dance on the Pier closes things down Sunday night. For more info, visit nycpride.org.